


A Story and a Carnival

by masquerade97



Series: Jewish!Cas [2]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Everyone's Jewish, M/M, Purim, jewish!cas, jewish!hannah, jewish!jo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-10
Updated: 2018-04-22
Packaged: 2018-09-16 17:09:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,342
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9281600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/masquerade97/pseuds/masquerade97
Summary: In which Cas teaches Dean about Purim





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this was up at one point and then I took it down to change some things and then????? forgot to put it back. hopefully my computer will cooperate so i can finish it

“What are you doing for Spring Break?” Cas asked, trying to sound off-hand. 

“Spring Break?” Dean asked, glancing away from his computer for only a second before he turned his attention back to the screen. “Not much,” he said, focusing on the game he was playing instead of the material he should have been studying for mid-terms. “I was going to wait until next year to go all out, since next year is senior year. I figured I’d probably work with my dad and get some extra money this year.” A thought occurred to him and he paused the game so he could turn to face Cas. “Why do you ask?” 

“There’s a holiday over Spring Break,” Cas said, setting his book aside. “Purim. It’s a lot of fun, and my synagogue puts on a carnival and there’s a dinner. I want you to come with me. I think you’d enjoy it.” 

“Sure. Sounds fun,” Dean said almost immediately. He and Cas had been together for two and a half months, almost since they returned from Winter Break, but Dean didn’t think twice about spending his Spring Break at Cas’ instead of at home. “When is it?” 

“Purim starts at sunset on Wednesday the 23rd, and that’s when the dinner is, and when we read the megillah – the story. The carnival is the Sunday after, right before we come back to school,” Cas explained.  

A thoughtful look crossed Dean’s face. “Isn’t that Easter Sunday?” he asked. 

“Is it?” Cas thought he’d heard something about Easter being over Spring Break, but he hadn’t really thought about it. He tried not to look too disappointed. “Oh. Well. I understand if you need to be home for that.” 

Dean shook his head. “We aren’t really religious at home. We go to church on holidays because my mom grew up doing it, but it’s not a big deal if I miss it. The big event is the egg hunt anyway,” he joked with a lopsided grin, glad to see that Cas’ face had lit up again. “But seriously, it isn’t a big deal.” 

“In that case, my parents said you’re welcome to stay with us the whole break, or you can come over on Wednesday before it starts,” Cas said. 

“If you’re willing to put up with me for the entire break, I can just drive us to your place and save your parents a trip,” Dean said.  

A smile spread across Cas’ face. “Of course I’ll put up with you for the entire break. I _do_ sort of like you.” 

“Then I just need to let my parents know I won’t be going home,” Dean said, returning Cas’ smile. 

*~*~*~*~* 

The drive to Cas’ house only took an hour, but it was enough time for Dean to start to feel nervous. Sure, he’d _met_ Cas’ parents, but he’d never spent any extended amount of time with them, and he had no idea what to expect. 

It made him feel better to see that Cas also didn’t seem to know what exactly to expect.  

“So what’s the plan, Cas?” Dean asked when they’d tried and failed to make small talk for forty-five minutes. 

“The plan?” Cas asked. He’d been staring out the window, and the look on his face said he had been completely unprepared for any kind of conversation. 

“Yeah, the plan. You said this holiday, Purim? Right?” 

“Yes, that’s right.” 

“You said it starts Wednesday. It’s Saturday now. What’s the plan for the meantime?”  

Cas considered this for a moment. In truth, he hadn’t given it much thought. “What would you like to do?” he finally asked. “We can go to the movies. Or there’s a really nice walking trail near my house. And there’s a restaurant downtown you really need to try.” 

Dean smiled as Cas talked; it seemed like once you got him rolling, Cas was full of ideas. “That sounds great,” Dean said. “All of it.” 

“And my friends will want to meet you,” Cas added, almost as an afterthought.  

Dean didn’t have time to react to that statement before Cas was telling him to take the next exit and they were navigating through virtually-unnamed back roads. Cas was pointing out landmarks and talking about where each road lead, as if Dean would remember that information. But Dean enjoyed just listening to Cas talk about the place he’d grown up. 

When they reached Cas’ house, Dean felt his nerves start to act up. There were a few people out and about, either out on a walk or with a dog, and a few of them eyed the Impala curiously. Being the center of attention wasn’t Dean’s favorite thing, but he was friendly when he returned the greeting of a young woman who walked behind his car with her dog trotting beside her.  

“Got everything?” Cas asked, breaking Dean out of his own mind. 

Dean glanced up to see Cas offering his free hand. “Yeah, I got it,” Dean replied, waving off Cas’ hand as he pulled his duffel out of the back seat and slung it across his arm. 

“Ready?” Cas asked as Dean locked his car. 

“I guess,” Dean said with a shrug. 

Dean followed close behind Cas as they made their way up the walkway to the front porch. He found himself looking around at the quiet neighborhood. Even though it was the weekend, he was surprised to see so many cars in the driveways; it was such a nice day, he would have thought people would want to get out of the house and do something. 

“…and you remember Dean,” Cas was saying. 

Dean turned back to the house to find a man and a woman standing in the doorway smiling at him. He recognized them as Cas’ parents; the man was taller even than Dean was, and his eyes were just as blue and piercing as Cas’, while the woman seemed just a hair shorter than Cas, and she wore a purple scarf over her hair. Dean shifted slightly from one foot to the other, smiling in a way he hoped masked his discomfort instead of amplifying it. 

“Of course we remember Dean,” the man said. “It’s nice to see you again.” 

“It’s nice to see you too,” Dean said. 

“Come in, both of you,” Mrs. Novak said, waving them inside.  

The room Dean was staying in wasn’t very big, but it was cozy enough, and a pleasant breeze floated in through the open windows. He found a chest of drawers in the closet and unpacked quickly before going to find Cas.  

The house wasn’t too big, so it wasn’t difficult to find Cas’ room on the other side. Dean knocked on the doorframe as Cas was putting the last of his clothes away. Cas smiled at him when he looked up. 

“Is your room okay?” Cas asked. 

“Seems like it,” Dean said with a shrug. When Cas turned away from him to put his last few shirts away, Dean noticed something on Cas’ head. “What’s that thing called?” he asked, curious. 

“What’s what called?” Cas asked, turning back to Dean, his head tilted to one side. 

“The thing you’re wearing,” Dean said, patting his hand on his head to demonstrate. “I’ve seen it before, but I don’t remember.” 

“It’s called a _yarmulke_ or _kippah_ ,” Cas said. 

“Why don’t you wear it at school?” Dean asked, tilting his head quizzically.  

Cas glanced away for a moment. “There was an…incident at school. Last spring, before I knew you.” 

“What happened?” Dean asked. He stepped into the room almost unconsciously. Protectively. 

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Cas said, shaking his head as if to clear it. “The point is I’m not comfortable wearing it at school.” 

“Is that why you weren’t going to do Hanukkah?” Dean asked, suddenly worried that someone might have done something to Cas. 

“No, that’s not it,” Cas said quickly. “I wasn’t going to do Hanukkah because I hadn’t had any luck with them before, and I wasn’t going to push it.” 

“Oh, good,” Dean said, trying not to sound as relieved as he felt. 

Cas smiled at him. “Hanukkah was nice. I still appreciate it. But celebrating a holiday that’s at least acknowledged and going around wearing a kippah in my day-to-day life can end in different outcomes.” 

“Do you _have_ to wear it?” Dean asked. 

Cas shrugged. “Depends on who you ask. Generally, yes. And I would prefer to, when I don’t feel like it’ll end poorly.” 

“Does your dad wear one?” 

Cas nodded. “Usually.” 

“What about what your mom was wearing? I don’t think I asked about it when you got back from break.” 

“It’s a _tichel_ ,” Cas said. “Or a _mitpachat_.” 

“Does she have to wear it?” Dean asked. 

Cas shrugged. “Again, it depends on who you ask. Not all the women at the synagogue wear them. Observance is kind of a complicated subject.” 

“Boys!” Mrs. Novak called. “Lunch is ready.” 

Cas’ face lit up. “Come on,” he said, stepping around Dean so he could get to the door. “Mom makes the best stuff when I get home.” 

*~*~*~*~* 

‘Stuff’ turned out to be something called _cholent_ , which Dean wasn’t sure he was pronouncing correctly. But it was good, so he really didn’t care how he was pronouncing it.  

After the dishes had been cleared away, Cas’ parents went for a walk. 

“Usually this is where I read a book on the back porch,” Cas said, “but you’re here, so what would you like to do?” 

Dean shrugged. “Watch a movie?” he asked, spying the TV against the back wall.  

“Maybe later,” Cas said. “It’s Shabbat, so we try not to use electricity. Unless it’s an emergency.” 

“Okay,” Dean said, brow furrowed in confusion. “You play cards?” 

“A little,” Cas said with a shrug. “I’m pretty good at Gin Rummy.” 

“I’ll play that,” Dean said. “But I don’t know what your definition of pretty good is, because I’m fantastic at it.” 

Cas laughed at that, and rifled through one of the drawers on the entertainment center for playing cards. “You’re on.” 

As it turned out, they were both excellent players. They each won a game before they switched to playing Go Fish. 

“So why don’t you use electricity on Shabbat?” Dean asked, rearranging his cards. 

“We’re not allowed to work on Shabbat, and that includes lighting or extinguishing a fire. Electricity counts as a fire.” 

“Got any fives?” 

“Go fish.” 

“Okay, but we had a hot lunch.” 

“That’s right. Eights?” 

“Go fish. How did your mom use the oven if you can’t use electricity?” 

“If the oven is on before Shabbat, then you can leave it on. You just can’t turn it off,” Cas explained. “ _Cholent_ is cooked on low heat for a long time, so we just leave it in the oven.” 

“Hmm. Interesting. Aces?” 

Cas handed over two cards, and Dean set his group of four on the ground in front of him. 

“How about threes?” 

“Go fish. Twos?” 

“Yeah.” 

Cas took the cards and set his book in front of him. 

“So what counts as an emergency?” Dean asked. 

“What?” 

“You said you don’t use electricity unless it’s an emergency. Like what?” 

“Like if someone needed to go to the hospital and I was the only one who could drive them, I’d be obligated to drive them to the hospital, even though I’m not supposed to drive on Shabbat.” 

Dean considered this for a moment as they traded cards back and forth. “But you could ride in the car with me here?” 

Cas nodded. “You were driving here anyway, so it wasn’t inconveniencing you to bring me here. And I wasn’t driving, you were.” 

“What about if I had decided to only come on Wednesday? How would you have gotten home?” 

Cas shrugged. “I would have caught a ride with Charlie, probably. She’s giving Jo a ride home since Jo just moved out in this direction. Or I could have waited until tomorrow and my parents could have picked me up, as long as I cleared it with security. Got any Jacks?” 

“Sure,” Dean said, handing the cards over. 

“I win,” Cas said, setting his last four cards down and holding up his empty hands. 

“And there was the six I needed,” Dean said, flipping over the last card in the pile between them. 

“Better luck next time,” Cas said, picking up the cards so he could shuffle them. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i apologize for the late update. school's been taking up all of my time

Cas made sure to take Dean to all his favorite places, and he was pleased when he could see Dean was having a good time. They went out a few times to meet up with Cas’ friends, who made it very clear that Cas had been telling them about Dean. Cas was slightly embarrassed. Dean was delighted.

By the time Wednesday rolled around, Dean had settled into his place at Cas’. He knew the routine, more or less, and Cas’ parents had made sure to make him feel welcome. He’d almost entirely forgotten the reason he was invited over in the first place until he woke up Wednesday morning.

Tuesday had been a late night, and when Dean woke on Wednesday, he noticed the clock on the bedside table read ten-thirty. He groaned and rolled over, swinging his legs over the side of the bed and hoisting himself up.

He was glad he’d slept in a t-shirt and sweat pants, because when he wandered into the den he found Cas and a girl he hadn’t met yet having a debate over what sounded like wardrobe.

“I’m just saying you should dress up this year.”

“I’d really rather not. But you aren’t either.”

“I dressed as Ester last year!”

“You lost a bet.”

“Am I interrupting something?” Dean asked, his brain still trying to go through the process of waking up before it could figure out what the hell he was listening to.

Cas and the girl both paused and glanced over at him.

“Who’s this?” the girl asked. She had blue eyes like Cas, and Dean almost regretted coming in here first; it was far too early to feel like someone was staring into his soul.

“This is Dean,” Cas said. “Dean, this is my cousin Hannah.”

“Nice to meet you,” Dean said.

“Likewise,” Hannah replied. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Yeah, people keep telling me that,” Dean said, glancing over at Cas. “What’re you guys talking about?”

“Costumes,” Cas said. “On Purim it’s a tradition to dress up.”

“And he won’t wear a costume,” Hannah said.

“I wish I’d known. I’d have brought my Halloween costume from last year,” Dean said.

“See? Dean says he’d dress up,” Hannah said, crossing her arms in front of her.

“You dressed up for Halloween?” Cas asked, ignoring his cousin.

“Free candy? Damn right I did,” Dean replied. “And I know which houses give the full sized candy bars.”

“What’d you go as?”

“Han Solo. From Star Wars.”

“That’s an easy enough costume to make,” Hannah said.

“No, please – don’t worry about it,” Dean said, holding his hands up in front of him as if to fend her off.

“We’re not dressing up this year Hannah,” Cas said.

“Next year,” Dean promised. Cas gave him a curious look, but before Dean could decipher what it meant, the look was gone.

“I’m holding you to that,” Hannah said, pointing at him as if to drive her point home.

“Maybe I’ll go as Princess Leia this time,” Dean said with a lopsided grin.

“Now that I’d like to see,” Hannah said. Something seemed to occur to her, and she laughed to herself. “You know, this one time, when we were kids–”

“Don’t you need to help your mom with something?” Cas interrupted, as if he knew where this train of thought was going and wanted no part of it. “You said you were only stopping by.”

Hannah glared at him, but it was clear that her heart wasn’t really in it. “You’re just trying to keep me from telling the good stories.”

“I want to hear,” Dean chimed in.

“See? He wants to hear.”

“Some other time,” Cas said, his hand on Hannah’s shoulder to guide her out of the room.

“Okay fine, but next time I’m telling the whole thing,” Hannah said, stepping away from Cas’ hand and toward the doorway. “I’ll see you at dinner tonight?”

“This is my favorite holiday, of course we’re going to be there,” Cas said.

Hannah gave him an amused look before glancing over at Dean. “It was nice to meet you Dean.”

“Yeah, you too,” Dean replied. When Hannah had disappeared around the corner, Dean gave Cas a curious look. “What story was she about to tell?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Cas said. “She’ll probably try to tell you again tonight, but if not, you’ll hear it eventually, I guess.”

Dean huffed, trying to sound put-out. He didn’t think it was working.

“Did you mean what you said?” Cas asked abruptly. “About next year?”

“What, dressing up?” Dean asked. “Sure, I don’t see why not. Why? Not planning on inviting me again next year?” He was joking, but part of him grew worried at the thought.

“Of course you’re invited,” Cas said quickly. He shifted uncomfortably, as if he wasn’t sure how to continue. “But that’s…a year away.”

Something clicked in Dean’s mind. “Oh, I get it,” he said. “Well, I’m planning on still being here in a year. If you change your mind on that, just let me know.”

Cas huffed a laugh, and the tension drained out of him. “I guess you want something to eat?” he asked, changing the subject.

“Definitely,” Dean said.

“Breakfast or lunch?”

“Does it matter?”

Cas shrugged. “I was going to help you find something, but if you won’t be specific, you can find it yourself.”

“Gee, thanks,” Dean said, following Cas into the kitchen.

When they each had their food, Dean asked, “So what’s the plan tonight?”

“Dinner starts at 6,” Cas said. “We read the _megillah_ at 7.”

“And people dress up?”

“Sometimes,” Cas replied with a shrug. “The kids like doing it. Sometimes more people dress up for the carnival on Sunday.” He glanced up at Dean, weighing whether he wanted to add the next part. “There’s a costume contest on Sunday, around lunch time.”

Dean nodded thoughtfully, taking another bite of his lunch. “So what do we do between tonight and Sunday?”

“Celebrate?” Cas said. “If you’re allowed to, we drink a lot of wine.”

“What do you mean _if I’m allowed to_? I’m old enough.”

“Some people drink grape juice instead. I don’t ask why,” Cas said simply. “And then we’ll have Shabbat services Friday night and Saturday morning, but you don’t have to come to those if you don’t want to.”

“I want to,” Dean immediately said.

“Are you sure?” Cas asked. “You really don’t have to.”

“I don’t mind. I’m here anyway. It’s important to you.” Dean smiled when Cas glanced up at him. “It’ll be great.”

*~*~*~*~*

When Dean had asked why they weren’t driving to the Synagogue, Cas had simply shrugged, saying they always just walked because it was so close. The evening was cold, but Dean could still make out the costumes on the group they were walking with – a few kids had costume makeup to give the appearance of facial hair (Cas had whispered to him that Mordechai was a popular character to dress up as), while others had flowing garments on under their coats. One kid carried a light saber and Dean regretted not taking Hannah up on her suggestion to just dress up.

“Having a blaster as Han Solo is not as cool as having a light saber as a Jedi,” Cas said when Dean brought it up.

“I guess,” Dean said. “But I could always dress up as Princess Leia and carry a light saber. That’d be better.”

“Leia can carry a light saber?” a small voice asked excitedly.

Dean glance down to see a child, about six or seven, with her hair done and a white dress flowing under her jacket. He smiled at her. “’Course she can,” he said. “She’s a Skywalker.”

“I told you!” the kid said, turning to another child who Dean assumed was her brother. The brother looked surprised, but clutched his light saber to his chest and started running around the group, presumably to keep the light saber away from his sister, who seemed determined to have it for herself.

“Can she really?” Cas asked.

“Duh,” Dean replied. “Wasn’t it obvious?”

Cas shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess I didn’t notice.”

“Oh come on,” Dean said. “You didn’t _notice_? Are we even talking about the same franchise?”

An amused look crossed Cas’ face. “Why do you say that?”

Dean dove into his explanation without a second thought; it wasn’t often that someone would let him just talk about movies, and Cas seemed content to listen. The children from earlier even returned to walk beside them and listen.

“Maybe….” the little boy started. “Maybe you can carry it for a _little_ while.” He held out the light saber to his sister, who took it eagerly.

“I see your point,” Cas said, smiling at Dean as they took off their coats and hung them up in a closet just inside the front door of the synagogue.

“Good,” Dean said. “I’d hate to have you believe Leia wasn’t force sensitive.”

Cas rolled his eyes and made his way to where the tables were set up. Dean thought the room looked like a massive classroom, with bookshelves and chalkboards lining the walls.

“This is a dining room?” Dean asked.

“Tonight it is,” Cas said. “We use it for all kinds of things. We had Hebrew school in here when I was a kid.”

“Dean? What are you doing here?”

Dean turned around at the sound of his name and was surprised to find Jo approaching him. “Jo? I didn’t know you were Jewish.”

“That’s because you don’t pay attention,” she said, stopping when she was close enough. She glanced between Cas and Dean. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”

“I didn’t know!” Dean said again. “I didn’t even know you lived around here.” He glanced over at Cas.

“I’d forgotten you moved out here Jo,” Cas said. “I apologize.”

“You didn’t dress up,” Dean noticed.

“It was never my thing,” Jo said with a shrug. “But you know, I do remember Hannah telling me-”

“How often has Hannah told that story?” Cas interrupted.

“Too often, I guess,” Jo said, a wry smile on her face.

“Well I haven’t heard it,” Dean huffed.

“Later,” Cas said.

Jo rolled her eyes. She looked like she was about to say something, but someone called her name and she excused herself with a, “Sit next to me when we read the story.”

*~*~*~*~*

“Does he know how loud this is going to be?” Jo whispered to Cas. She was looking across him at Dean, who was making his way to where they were sitting.

“I don’t know,” Cas replied. “I haven’t told him.”

“Did he look it up?” Jo asked.

Cas shrugged. “He asked what the holiday was, I told him,” he explained. “I might have left out the noisemakers though.”

“What’re you talking about?” Dean asked when he sat down. He handed a wine glass each to Cas and Jo and took a sip from his own.

“Whether Cas will let me tell the story,” Jo said, giving Cas a pointed look.

“No you may not,” Cas said.

“Aw come on,” Dean said. He leaned forward so he could get a better look at Jo. “Please?”

Jo looked away and took a sip of her wine.

“Cas, do I ever get to hear this story?” Dean asked.

“Eventually,” Cas said. “One day.”

“When?”

Cas shrugged again. “Trust me, the story we’re hearing tonight is much better.” He leaned back in his chair as the Rabbi took her place at the front of the room to read. Cas noticed Dean looking around the room at the crowd around them, noticed the curious look on his face when he spotted the gragers some of the children around them had.

“What’s that?” Dean whispered, nodding to a child sitting in front of them who was holding a grager.

“It’s a grager – a noisemaker,” Cas whispered back.

“Why do you need a noisemaker at a story reading?”

“At certain points in the story you have to make noise,” Cas said. “It’s hard to miss.” He heard Jo huff a laugh beside him and tried to hide his amusement.

“’It happened in the days of Ahasuerus,’” the Rabbi read, “’that Ahasuerus who reigned over a hundred and twenty-seven provinces from India to Ethiopia.’”

Cas settled in, content to listen to the story he’d heard so many times. He noticed Dean leaning forward in his seat, completely enraptured by the story. Not that Cas could blame him; it was a good story, and their Rabbi was a natural born story teller. It was hard not to listen to her when she spoke.

“Hey,” Jo said softly elbowing Cas in the ribs.

“Hey what?” Cas asked, leaning close to her so he wouldn’t disturb the others.

Jo nodded to the children seated around them - they were fidgeting in their seats, adjusting their holds on their noisemakers. “They know we’re getting close.”

Cas glanced over at Dean, who didn’t appear to have noticed anything out of the ordinary about the room around them. “I don’t think Dean’s noticed.”

“Good,” Jo said. She leaned forward to rest her elbows on her knees so she could watch Dean’s reaction.

“’Some time afterward,’” the Rabbi read, “’King Ahasuerus promoted Haman-‘”

The explosion of noise in the room was so sudden that Dean jumped in his seat, looking around with a shocked and bewildered look on his face. Jo laughed at him. Cas gave him an amused and slightly apologetic look.

Dean leaned over to Cas, eyes wide. “When – exactly – are you supposed to make noise?”

“When you hear Haman’s name,” Cas said. “You’re supposed to drown it out.”

“Good to know,” Dean said. The noise in the room was finally dying down.

“’-son of Hammedatha the Agagite,’” the Rabbi continued, as if there had never been any interruption, “’he advanced him and seated him higher than any of his fellow officials. All the king’s courtiers in the palace gate knelt and bowed low to Haman-‘”

More noise. Dean blinked in surprise and looked around the room. “Is it like this _every_ time the guy’s name is said?” he asked, leaning closer to Cas.

“Of course,” Cas said. “You don’t just drown him out once.”

Dean’s face turned thoughtful and he leaned back in his chair as the story continued.

As the night progressed and the story was read, Dean joined in with the others whenever Haman’s name was said. Cas watched him, a smile on his face. He’d never had friends who weren’t Jewish but were willing to learn about Judaism and participate with him (here he wasn’t counting Hanukkah because Hanukkah had found its way into a more mainstream view). It was oddly satisfying to have someone so captivated with his culture, and Cas wasn’t sure how to react; he thought he should thank Dean, but that didn’t seem appropriate or necessary, and he thought he should ask Dean back for Passover, but that seemed like too much. For now, Cas was just content to watch Dean enjoy himself, even if Jo did make a face or two at him when she caught him paying more attention to Dean than the story.

By the time the story was over, Dean and half the children had shouted themselves hoarse. But that didn’t stop anyone from cheering when the Rabbi finished reading.

“Did you have fun?” Cas asked as they retrieved their coats.

“Yeah,” Dean said. One of the kids had given him a grager at some point, and he was having far too much fun spinning it around.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you when they’d be making all the noise,” Cas said.

“It was hilarious though,” Jo chimed in. She already had her coat on and was waiting on her parents.

“Yeah yeah,” Dean said, waving Jo off. “’S okay. But next time I do any holiday with you, I’m googling it first.”

“Fair enough.”

“Are you going to be here Sunday too?” Jo asked.

“Yeah. Why? Sick of me already?”

“Maybe,” Jo teased.

“Then it’s probably for the best that he isn’t staying with you,” Cas pointed out.

“I don’t know,” Jo said thoughtfully. “We’d let him watch tv on Shabbos.”

“No one is saying Dean can’t watch tv on Shabbos,” Cas said. “My parents and I don’t. Dean’s welcome to the tv.”

“Please,” Dean interrupted. “All this fighting over me is going to go to my head.”

“It’s already gone to your head,” Jo countered.

“No it hasn’t!”

“Yes it has,” Cas said.

“I thought we were on the same team,” Dean said.

Jo rolled her eyes. “You guys are too much,” she said. “I’ll see you on Sunday.”

Dean and Cas said their good-byes and slipped into their coats as they wandered through the crowd of people looking for Cas’ parents.

“Are we going to tell Jo I’m going to be here for Friday services?” Dean asked.

“She and her parents live pretty far away, so they only come for Saturday,” Cas said. “But no, I wasn’t going to tell her. I thought it could be a surprise.”

Dean grinned. “Awesome.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The text for the megillah is taken from my copy of the JPS Tanakh


	3. Chapter 3

Most of the carnival was held in the same large room where the dinner had been Wednesday night. Games were set up all around the room in a way that created an atmosphere of controlled chaos. Almost everyone under the age of eighteen was dressed in some kind of costume, and several adults were also in costume. About half of the attendees, in costume and out, had their faces painted, either with bright colors and designs, or to look like the people in the _megillah_.

Through the open back door came the smell of food grilling and the sounds of chatting. Past the back porch was a small playground, and the delighted shouts of children chasing each other occasionally drifted into the carnival as well.

By the time Cas and Dean managed to find Jo, her face was already painted; she had a mask of blues and silvers around her eyes that made her look ready to attend a costume ball.

“For someone who doesn’t like to dress up, you sure get in the festive mood,” Dean said as they approached. Cas shoved him lightly.

“I’m always festive,” Jo said simply. “It’s a requirement.”

Dean’s brow furrowed in confusion, but Cas laughed. “I’m glad we can force you to be in a good mood once in a while.”

“You were in a good mood yesterday, at services,” Dean said, still feeling like he was missing out on the root of the joke.

“Can’t be sad on Shabbos,” Jo said, pointing at Dean to drive her point home.

“You… what?”

Jo dropped her hand with a shrug. “Shabbos and Yontiff are times for celebration.”

Dean looked at Cas helplessly. “Yontiff?”

“Holiday,” Cas supplied. “It’s Yiddish.”

“Got it,” Dean said with a nod.

“So go celebrate!” Jo said. “I have to take over at the ring-toss so my dad can go help with the food. I’ll see you around.”

“Learn something new every day, I guess,” Dean said, watching Jo walk away with a hint of confusion still on his face. He shook himself and glanced back at Cas. “I can’t believe I didn’t know how…. Jewish she is.” He shifted uncomfortably. “I feel like that isn’t something I should say.”

Cas smiled. “I know what you mean,” he said.

“But she doesn’t…” Dean gestured helplessly as he searched for words. “She’s not observant like you are.”

Cas chuckled to himself. “You remember when I told you observance is a complicated subject?” When Dean nodded, he shrugged. “I guess you get it now.”

Dean nodded again. “Yeah, guess I do.” He glanced around the room and spotted a plastic basketball hoop against one wall. He pointed at it and glanced over at Cas. “Wanna play?”

“Why not?” Cas said with a grin.

Throughout the morning, Dean and Cas wandered around the games, collecting tickets as they won. Jo only gave Dean a little bit of a hard time when it took him several tries to knock a stack of pins down with a tennis ball. At one point, they ran into a few of Cas’ friends who were only in town for the holiday, and Dean moved on while Cas caught up with them.

“He’s not Jewish?” one asked.

Cas shook his head, still smiling fondly. “He’s sweet,” he said. “And he tries.”

“Careful Cas. Someone’ll think you’ve got it bad.”

“Maybe I do,” Cas countered, standing up straighter.

There was a slight pause before another in the group asked, “It doesn’t bother you that he isn’t Jewish?”

Cas shrugged. “I like him the way he is,” he said. He wanted to go on, to say that Dean was always willing to learn, and never tried to keep Cas from his observance. He was still Jewish, and he had made it clear that he wouldn’t be changing the way he lived his life any time soon. Dean hadn’t fought him on it yet and hadn’t made any attempts to change Cas’ mind on the subject. Still, now that it had been brought up, Cas could feel the uncertainty start to take hold in the back of his mind – nothing serious, just the vigilance he reserved for his surroundings suddenly considering that maybe, just maybe, it might need to be on the lookout for something in Dean’s demeanor to change.

A hand on his shoulder broke him out of his thoughts. “I’m happy for you,” his friend said sincerely. “I didn’t mean to imply that there was something wrong with dating goyim. I’m sorry I brought it up.”

“I know you didn’t mean it,” Cas replied.

“And besides, Dean seems like a great guy. I’m glad you found him.”

Cas smiled again. “Yeah, me too.” His gaze settled back on Dean, across the room, in conversation with a familiar figure with a white cane. He shook his head. “I think I’d better go get him before he ends up spending the rest of the carnival having a conversation.” His friends laughed as he excused himself with the promise of catching up again soon.

Cas wove his way through the crowd, saying hello to familiar faces and politely turning down offers of conversation until he finally caught up to Dean.

“Cas! There you are,” Dean said when he saw Cas approach.

“Cas?” Dean’s conversation partner asked, a hint of excitement taking over her voice. Her sightless eyes brightened behind her dark glasses. “Oh, is that Jimmy?” She turned slightly toward the sound of Cas’ feet stopping on her left.

“It’s good to see you Pamela,” Cas said with a smile, “but no one’s called me Jimmy in almost five years.”

“Well the last time you were in my Hebrew class, you were Castiel at home and among your friends, and everywhere else you were James,” Pamela said with a smile, inclining her head toward the sound of Cas’ voice. “When did that change?”

“The year you moved,” Cas said. “Or maybe the year after.”

“Well that explains it,” Pamela said, thumping her white cane to emphasize the discovery.

“Wait, why were you James?” Dean asked, his brow creased in confusion.

“It’s my legal name,” Cas said. “Castiel is my Hebrew name. Long story.”

“You two know each other?” Pamela asked. “And here I thought Dean had just stopped in because of all the commotion.”

Cas laughed. “No, he’s my boyfriend.”

“I came here with him,” Dean added.

A mischievous expression crossed Pamela’s face. “Found your bashert then, Castiel?”

Cas’ cheeks turned a slight shade of pink. “It’s a little soon to be making that assumption one way or the other, don’t you think?” he asked.

Pamela chuckled. “If you think so,” she said. She let a beat of almost awkward silence pass before she shook her head. “I should be going. My ride must be wondering where I am by now.” She reached out a hand in Cas’ direction and touched his arm lightly. “It was good to see you again Castiel,” she said before dropping her hand and nodding in Dean’s direction. “And it was lovely to meet you Dean.”

“What’s a bashert?” Dean asked, almost as soon as Pamela was out of earshot.

“A person’s soulmate,” Cas said simply. He could see the color rise up Dean’s neck and touch his ears.

“That’s a thing?”

Cas nodded. “And Pamela can be a bit of a romantic when she wants to be,” he said. “She’s a family friend, and she used to teach Hebrew at Sunday school.”

“Do you believe in it?” Dean asked. He sounded genuinely curious as he met Cas’ eyes. “The soulmate thing?”

Cas paused for a moment before answering. He couldn’t say he’d ever really given it much thought. “I think so,” he said carefully. He felt an odd relief when Dean smiled at him.

“I got this for you,” Dean said, abruptly changing the subject. He held out his hand and in it, a small stuffed dog wearing a kippah. “I had a bunch of tickets and when I went to the prize table, it was one of the last things set out.”

Cas smiled and took the dog. It looked like one of the dogs they had as Chanukah decorations, with a pouch hanging from its mouth for gelt. “Thank you Dean,” he said, looking from the dog to Dean. “I’m sorry I didn’t get you anything.”

Dean shrugged. “You brought me here,” he said with a lopsided grin. “Way more fun than an egg hunt.”


End file.
